Reading With Wrestlers

The Glasgow Scottie High School wrestling team has taken on a new challenge this year. Under the direction of head coach Jory Casterline and his staff, the team has implemented the Reading with Wrestlers program.

Students from Head Start, First Lutheran, Little Scholars and Scottie Daycare will be visited all this week by members of the wresling team. Grapplers will answer the pre-school aged children's questions, read books with them, and gift them books from the athletes. The high school boys will spend between 30 and 45 minutes with the kids, reading, playing, and hanging out.

According to the Glasgow Wrestling program, "We are using this program to reinforce the message to our athletes that they are leaders and role models for our area youth." The newly implemented program seeks to expose the athletes to area youth in an educational environment, to the benefit of both teens and pre-school children. Acknowledging that children often look up to high school athletes as superheroes, the club looks to build an ongoing relationship between the groups.

The Club notes that in addition to providing a fun experience for the young kids, the program has also been a boon to the athletes who have embraced their new role off the mats. Head coach Jory Casterline and assistant coach Brady Flaten tout the program as a way to foster a nurturing educational environment, with their athletes leading outside the world of sports. "Building a positive connection with our athletes and these kids ... we feel is very important," the two said in a statement on the objectives of their program.